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Sunday, August 13, 2017

Pig's ears or a PROPER mitered binding

Remember what I said yesterday? Life is all about learning new things? I learned something yesterday that had NEVER even EVER crossed my mind. So simple and yet - well - I think I'm still stunned that I didn't think about it.

Wait for it!

Yesterday was another crazy day. Why? Because I'm popping out of town for a few days. It doesn't matter how much I plan, the day before is always stupid. Why? Because that is the day that I have to deposit cheques in the bank (yes - I could do it on my phone, but not US dollar cheques so might as well deposit everything at once BEFORE I forget and these US cheques have BIG warning on them - VOID after 60 days. The last time, I made it to the bank on the day it expired! Not this time - I only got the cheque this week and it's in the bank!

Then I had to pick my bike up. Never mind that it's been ready since Wednesday. But it's in the car.

And I had to visit the famous quilter. That would be Marilyn - more about her in a minute.

I should have had this quilt done and in the mail on Friday, but I ran out of fabric last weekend and well - it's taken me forever to finish it. BUT it's done with the exception of the sleeve. It's pinned on! All of these pictures are from the same quilt - I changed the camera setting and wow - what a difference.

Since I can't show yo the front of the quilt - here's the quilting on the back.

Quilting

I did go a bit wimpy on the outside border. Not sure why - probably time and the border is the first thing I quilt and my miind is usually empty of ideas at that time. However I made up for it on the rest of the quilt and when it comes back, I may just add something in the borders. I thought of it while I was quilting, but didn't really have the time to go back.

I got it bound last night (NOT my best binding job) so that is telling me that I need to slow down on this and I didn't have enough table space despite the fact that I do all my binding this way. I think I was tired and cranky. It was after 9 or was it 10 by that time. More on why that was the case in a moment.

All I can say is THANK GOD for those little labels. I LOVE them and they are perfect. Now the quilt is going out with my phone number, my blog, my name and my cute little bicycle. For special quilts, I'll likely put something more, but for these ones - and in a hurry - those little labels are fabulous.

I had to laugh because I came across another quilter from Montreal who uses those little labels as well. All from the same company - ikaprint. Yes - it may be a pain to get their website to work just right (right Shirley?), but it does and the labels are so worth it and they don't cost much. Thanks to Lorna (Sew Fresh Quilts) for introducing me!!!

quilt is labelled

OK - so there were two main things that messed up my day. You see, I was planning on quilting a small quilt and taking it with me. HA - what a dreamer I am. I barely got this one done which I'll be delivering to a colleague's house shortly so it can go out on Monday. I was hoping to stitch the sleeve down this morning, but instead, I'm blogging. Blogging is way more fun!! And I'll stitch the sleeve when I get the quilt back.

On the way to Marilyn's house, and dealing with heavy traffic on the highway, I knew the second quilt wasn't going to happen. OK - let it go. It doesn't have to be done - I'll just mail it when it gets done. No big deal - it's little. That freed up some of my "planned" time so I stayed and chatted with Marilyn. And what a great conversation we had. She's a wonderful person and VERY VERY talented. She's part of the Handi Quilter Quilt Your Desire team. Check out the link - that's Marilyn second from the left in that big picture. And check out this link to see more of her stuff and her videos!!!!!

I said she was talented and she is. She's had several quilts juried into major shows. (I don't know how many exactly), but I've seen her quilts hang at Quilt Canada, Paducah and QuiltCon (where she won an ward which I don't remember at this moment) and she has a quilt going to Houston (remember the shipping - lost quilt story - that was Marilyn!) Check out this link to see her FIRST PLACE win at Quiltcon. It's in the Piecing category about 3/4 of the way down the page. She had TWO at Quiltcon no less!

Let's just say that she has experience with having quilts judged, etc. She said casually near the end of our converstaion - oh you know about the pig's ears?" Say what? No clue - then she explaned the miter for the binding. For god's sake - I didn't know which way I did that miter and had to run home to find out. Turns out I've been doing my miters wrong after thousands (maybe?) of miters. If you have that miter going one way on the back, technically it should go the opposite way on the front to help offset the bulk (ME who is always thinking of bulk!). I checked, NOPE - did it wrong always. So last night when I was binding this quilt, I did it the other way. HOLY COW - it's flat on those corners.

FLAT mitered binding corner

Seriously -- I cannot believe that I didn't think of that. Thanks Marilyn!!!!!! That's why your quilts go to Houston and mine do not! Oh - I have to tell you one more thing about Marilyn. I had never been to her house before and as I drove up and could see the living room window, I gasped! NO WAY!!! Yes way - there is her LONG ARM right in the window. NO WAY!!!! Turns out that she has turned her living room into her quilting room. Like many of us in this area, we have living rooms and family rooms. Do we use both? Well we sort of do in our house, but I would LOVE to have my long arm in that front room although I think a certain someone wouldn't be happy and I'd have to share it with my two four legged friends who have pretty much claimed that room for their own!

Thanks Marilyn!!! You're the best!

Now it's much later than I had planned, but I was OK with that. Then I had to go out for dinner.I must admit that I did have a good time and good food so I can't complain but that wasn't close either and then dinner and chatting - that consumed another 5 or more hours of my day and that's the reason that the binding went on after 10 PM and the sleeve is only pinned on. Good enough for me!

And now I must get my act together (did laundry yesterday, packed this morning).

Don't worry - I even had a chance to load pictures into the blog yesterday and I'll be posting while I'm away.